TALLAHASSEE — A bill that would have required sterilization of all cats and dogs by the age of 4 months was substantially changed by the Florida House Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Committee.

The original bill would have required all cats and dogs, with exceptions for show, breeding, service or racing dogs, to be sterilized by 4 months of age or within 30 days of ownership.

But on March 24, the committee adopted a "strike-all" amendment, removing all mandatory spay/neuter language and instead giving local lawmakers the option of using a $5 charge already collected on animal-control citations to help pay for low-cost spay/neuter programs.

A statewide bill in California failed last year but has been reintroduced. Two bills on mandatory sterilization were introduced this month in Texas, and officials in Tennessee and Chicago are considering sterilization laws.